1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a method of producing shaft power or thrust, for a gas turbine engine, and more particularly, to a method of doing so by heating a gas such as air with gamma rays generated from an appropriate amount of hafnium.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are a number of well-known methods of creating power, both electrical and mechanical, for uses such as supplying electricity to customers or powering transportation devices. For example, a combustion engine can be used to supply power to a shaft for mechanical power, such as, for example, in cars, trucks, helicopters, propeller-driven planes and ships. Alternatively, an expanding fluid or gas, such as steam or a combustible, can be used to turn a turbine which, in turn, may be attached to a shaft.
In power plants, water expanding into steam is typically used to turn a turbine, which in turn, supplies power to a generator to create electricity. The steam can be released and the water continuously replaced, but it is common to cool the steam back to water with a heat exchanger, then re-circulate the water back into the system for re-use.
In a gas turbine, high-pressure air from a compressor or compressors is mixed with a fossil fuel and ignited. The heated air is channeled to a turbine and over the turbine blades. This can be used to create mechanical shaft power, or, if the air is forced out an exhaust nozzle, thrust for a jet aircraft or other vehicle. The gas turbine has a number of uses, including powering electrical generators, ships, aircraft, and trains. Aeroderivative gas turbines, for example, are used in electrical power generation because they can be brought online, when necessary, and shut down relatively quickly. They are also seeing an increased are in the marine industry.
These systems, particularly smaller power systems for transportation vehicles such as ships, and planes, tend to rely on the burning of fossil fuels to supply heat, with the attendant downsides of fossil fuel use, such as safety concerns from fire or explosion, the cost of large amounts of fuel, environmental concerns from leakage, emission of greenhouse gases when burned, and in transportation applications, the limited range of systems relying upon fuel combustion, and the inefficiency of carrying high weights of fuel for transport situations. This last is of particular concern in long-range transportation, as the factor that limits range is often the amount of fuel that can be carried. Furthermore, it is worth contemplating that fossil fuels are non-renewable and are rapidly being depleted.
The use of steam in transportation vehicles has even more pronounced limitations. Steam-driven engines, whatever their configuration, require the use of large amounts of water, which is bulky and weighty, and fuel to heat the water, both of which must be transported with the vehicle.
Other technologies for supplying the heat necessary for power, such as, e.g., nuclear, are sometimes used, but have somewhat limited application. For example, while nuclear power is used to power some power plants and some military submarines, safety concerns from both the possibility of an accident and loss or theft of the radioactive fuel has limited the application from going much further.
Therefore, there is a need within the power and transport arts for an engine that can supply power and drive turbines, while overcoming these disadvantages, providing heat efficiently, safely, and at lowered cost, without greenhouse emissions and with an increased transport range.